The Old Oval at Syracuse University has a rich history dating back to the 1880s, when it was first developed as a baseball diamond and cinder track.

[3] At the time, most team sports were played in the various "Star Parks" around the city of Syracuse, but the university, under presidents Charles N. Sims and later James Roscoe Day, wanted to make the Oval the center of athletics on campus.

In 1906, architecture professors Frederick William Revels and Earl Hallenbeck, created a plan to convert the Old Oval into a Great Quadrangle.

Their work resulted in the construction of Bowne, Carnegie library, Sims, and Machinery halls and Archbold Gymnasium, which were all completed by 1909.

[3][12] Today, the Shaw quad, as it is more commonly called, is a popular spot on campus for students to relax, study, and socialize.